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Price 10 Cexvts 



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I Copy 1 



I.DINGS 



ATHIiETIC UBRAK.Y 




Pitch Overhand 
Correct Batting 

The Hitting Step 
The Level Swing 

The Follow Through 
Correct Fielding 

By J. B. SHERIDAN 

Originator of the Boys' Championship Diamoad UZ 



MERICAN SPORTS PUBUSHING COMPANY 
I 45 ROSE STREET NEW YORK 



:ss 



A.C.SPALDING &BROS 

MAINTAIN THEia OWN HOUSES 
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IS lUrtcled ID A. s. SP«J)|JI6 t B«OS.. al aoj ol 1 



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SPAIiDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY 

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How to Organize a League 
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""^ I How to Train a Teani 

L How to Captain a Team 
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No. 



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Ball Guide 
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for Women 



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Mention style binding preferred. 



(Continued on the next page. Prices subject to change without notice.) 

8-S 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY 

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Association Guide 
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No. 364 Volley Ball Guide 
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Dumb Bell Drills 
subject to change without notice.) 



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Physical Education and Hygiene 
No. 62R. The Care of the Body 
No. 64R. Muscle Building ; Health by 
Muscular Gymnastics 



Spalding Score Books, Competitors' Numbers, Etc. 

BASE BALL SCORE BOOKS. 
Made in three styles— Morse (Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5 and M); A. G. Spalding style 
(Nos. 2 and S) ; John B. Foster style (No. F). The Spalding style has 
diamond shaped spaces for scoring. 

POCKET SIZE. 

No. 1. Paper cover, Morse style, 7 games Each $0.20 

No. 2. Board cover, Spalding style, 22 games " .50 

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CLUB SIZE. 

No. 4, Morse style, 8%xl0% in., 30 games Each $2.00 

No. 5. Morse style, S%xlO% in., 79 games " 3.00 

Score Cards, I game Dozen .10 

BASKET BALL SCORE BOOKS. 

No. 10. Paper cover, 10 games Each $0.20 

No. 11. Board cover, 25 games " .50 

No. A. Collegiate, paper cover, 10 games " .20 

No. B. Collegiate, board cover, 25 games " .50 



No. W. Women's Basket Ball Score Book, 25 games. 



.50 



No. 
No. H. 

No. L. 



TRACK AND FIELD. TENNIS AND GOLF SCORE CARDS. 
TF, Olympic Score Card: for outdoor and Indoor track and field 

athletic meets; used in A.A.U. championships Each $0.05 

H. Tennis Score Card, endorsed by leading umpires: used in 
national championships, new and improved design; for five 

sets: in two colors Dozen .75 

Golf Score Sheets; used in leading tournaments: size 22x28 in.; 
match play or medal play (specify which is wanted). Each .30 

COMPETITORS' NUMBERS. 

Used in A.A.U. , intercollegiate and interscholastic championship events. 

Made up in sets (1 to 50. 1 to 100, etc.). 

Manila paper Per number $0.02 Linen backed Per number $0.12 

Letters, A, B, C, D, etc., on manila paper, for relay races.. Per letter .05 

Any of the above mailed postpaid on receipt of price. 
American Sports Publishing Company, 45 Rose St., New York 




J. B. SHERIDAN 



Photo 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY 
No. 365 



Base Ball 

for 

Beginners 

Pitching Overhand 
Correct Batting 
The Hitting Step 
The Level Swing 
The Follow -Through 
Correct Fielding 



By 

J. B. SHERIDAN 

Originator of the Boys' Championship 
Diamond 




A Perfect Position 
PUBLISHED BY 

AMERICAN SPORTS PUBLISHING 
COMPANY 

45 ROSE STREET, NEW YORK 



z 






Copyright, 1921 

BY 

American Sports Publishing Company 
New York 



13 1921 
©CI.A617325 



Foreword 

The American boy who wishes to become a Base Ball player 
will find that it is much easier to secure professional instruc- 
^ tion in golf, tennis, swimming, etc., than in his National Game. 
Base Ball instruction for the boy who wishes to play the 
National Game of the American people is coming. The author 
advocates it and it is in the hope of bringing about a correction 
of this oDvious deficiency heretofore existing in American spo-rt 
that this book is written. The objects of the book are: 

First — To help the American boy learn to play Base 
Ball correctly by directing his attention to the styles of 
the great players of the professional field and by pro- 
viding him with a proper sized ball and proper sized 
diamond, and his own regular official playing field. 

Second — To help, by discussion, comparison and selec- 
tion; m establishing a standard style and school of Base 
Ball and a standard school of coaches. 
The standards and styles advocated in this book are not 
theoretic or imaginary. They are based on the styles and 
standards of the great players of the past and of the present. 
The author presents photographs to prove the truth of his text. 
It is by discussion, comparison and selection that we arrive at 
correct conclusions. Therefore, the author courts the fullest 
and freest discussion of the contents. Criticism designed to assist 
in constructing our standards of play and standards of styles, 
not only is welcomed, but is earnestly solicited. 

While this book is primarily designed to impart the funda- 
mentals of Base Ball to "the fundamentals of Base Ball" 
(American boys), the author ventures the hope that it will be 
found not uninteresting or unprofitable by all Base Ball players, 
even by the stars of the professional arena, by their employers, 
by the writers of the game, and by the general public. 



'M^^dLuA^ 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 



The Author's Qualifications 

J. B. Sheridan is the Base Ball expert of the St. Louis Globe- 
Democrat and The Sporting News of St. Louis, the weekly- 
Base Ball paper. He has been a close student of boys' Base 
Ball for twenty-five years. ■ Ten years ago he submitted his 
theories and observations to a practical test. In 1910 he organ- 
ized the Wabada Boys' Base Ball Club, for boys under fourteen 
years old. They played with a small ball on a small diamond. 
From that bo-ys' club graduated several major league players. 
He attributes the phenomenal success' of the Wabada boys to the 
fact that they played with the boys' official size ball on the small 
diamond. 

"It is simply hopeless," Mr. Sheridan says, "to try to teach a boy 
to play Base Ball on a man's size diamond with a man's size 
ball as it would be to try to teach him to run sprints in Cobb's 
shoes or in Wagner's knickerbockers. You would not ask a 
boy of twelve or fourteen to bat with Wagner's bat. Why ask 
him to pitch Mathewson's distance with the National League 
ball?" 

Interested beyond all things in Base Ball for boys, Mr. 
Sheridan personally took up the matter of the Official Boys' Dia- 
mond and, for boys under sixteen years of age, the Boys' 
Official Ball, with the Joint Rules Committee of the National 
and American Leagues at their meeting in Chicago, February 
10-14, 1920. At Mr. Sheridan's suggestion the Joint Rules Com- 
mittee approved the Boys' Official Ball, weight not over 4 3-4 
ounces, circumference not more than 8 3-4 inches. 

This approval not only gives boys under sixteen an official 
diamond and an official ball; it gives them official standing in 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 5 

Base Ball. For the first time the American boy, under sixteen, 
has an official diamond, a ball and a standing of his own. Mr. 
Sheridan says that he has but one request to make of the Ameri- 
can boy: It is that he use the boys* size ball and the boys' size 
diamond, and play with dash and high spirit. It is a pleasure to 
add that the success of "Base Ball For Beginners" resulted in a 
request by the International Syndicate of Baltimore that Mr. 
Sheridan write for the benefit of boys a series on "How to Play 
Base Ball." The series was published generally throughout the 
United States and Canada in leading papers of the principal 

cities. 

John B. Foster, 

Editor Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 



When a Boy Plays Base Ball 

When a boy begins to play Base Ball he will get a Spalding 
Official National League Junior Base Ball. 

It is possible to play some Base Ball with just a ball. To 
play real Base Ball, such as the National and American Leagues 
design to help the boys of America to play, you should get, in 
addition to a ball: 

A pair of Spalding Base Ball shoes. 

A Spalding uniform. 

A Spalding glove. 

A Spalding bat. 

A Spalding Official Base Ball Guide. 
I will speak of the latter first. You cannot play ball cor- 
rectly, no matter how well equipped, unless you know the rules. 
In some instances the rules have been difficult to understand. 
Mr. Foster, the editor of the Guide, has taken each rule sepa- 
rately and made a detailed explanation of what the rule says 
may or may not be done. The infield fly, the force, the balk — 
all of these stumbling blocks — are explained. 
Know the rules. 

Shoe plates, erroneously called "spikes," are a most important 
factor in playing Base Ball. It would be impossible to have 
League Base Ball without their assistance. They are of the 
greatest importance. Also a light, strong, well-fitting shoe. Some 
great players, Cobb among them, pay more attention to the fit 
and feel of their shoes than they do to all other things. 

You can make shift to play with any sort of a glove. You 
may even play without a glove. You may hit with a bat that 
does not suit you. You may play with an indifferent ball. But 
you cannot play good Base Ball in ill-fitting shoes or in shoes 
without good shoe plates. 

Be particular about the fit of your shoes. Lace them care- 
fully. Cobb often spends half an hour fitting and lacing his 
shoes prior to taking part in a game. Buy good ones. Care 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 7 

for them as for your batting eye. Keep them clean. Oil them 
carefully after each game Have them shining for your next 
game. No good Base Ball player will wear unclean, untidy, 
ill-fitting shoes. 

A good glove is also a necessity. Such gloves are to be 
found at the sporting goods stores selling Spalding goods. A 
uniform "makes" a team and saves street clothes. It costs little 
and is, in the end, a great economy. Keep the shoes and glove 
soft and well oiled. Keep the uniform clean and neat. Your 
mother will show you how to wash it. Wash it yourself. Do 
not let your mother do it. Keep your uniform well pressed. 
Never appear for a game in an unclean or untidy uniform. 
Learn how to wear your uniform with style; with an air of 
distinction. 

Dress for a Base Ball game as you would for a social affair 
or a school commencement or to call upon your best girl. Be 
clean. Be tidy. Keep your stockings up. Fasten your belt 
tightly. Wear a clean cap gaily. Keep your hair cut. Keep 
your head up. Remember that you are an American boy, as 
good as any boy that lives, playing the great American game of 
Base Ball. The gay, airy, clean, tidily dressed Base Ball player 
makes a favorable impression. Spectators like to see clean, 
tidy, gay, business-like boys play Base Ball. Everyone likes 
neatness and efficiency. 

Choose a bat to suit your strength. The best way to choose 
a bat is to "like the feel of it." If it feels good in your hand; 
if you feel as if you can hit with it, buy it. 

It is best that a boy shall not use a bat too heavy for him, 
nor one too long nor too short. A good deal depends upon the 
build of the boy and his strength and his natural style of hit- 
ting. Favor lightness over weight, though the best wood is, 
alas, heavy. 

Having chosen a uniform, shoes and glove, the boy can now 
proceed to 

PLAY BALL! 




1 — Correct grip for curve ball. 2 — Correct grip for fast ball. 3 — Correct 
grip for change of pace, ball far back in fingers. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 11 

is, make use of all parts of the rubber — both ends, the center, 
etc. Most pitchers dig a hole for the pitching toe and pitch 
every ball from that hole. 

PROPER USE OF RUBBER. 

A pitcher can use all of the rubber with great advantage to 
himself. Many pitchers take up their positions on the rubber by 
putting one foot on it and the other in the rear of it. This 
position is an infraction of Rule 30, which says that "both feet 
shall be squarely on the ground and in front of the pitcher's 
plate; and in the act of delivering the ball to the bat, he must 
keep one foot in contact with the pitcher's plate defined in 
Rule 9." 

So, to take up a pitching position with one foot in the rear 
of the rubber, is a balk. 

Young pitchers should be exceedingly careful to start out by 
taking the proper position on the rubber. Begin right. Both 
feet should be on the rubber. We lay down no hard and fast 
rule, however, for positions or play here. The player should 
remember that he is given the widest possible latitude in select- 
ing his own positions on the pitcher's rubber and at the bat. 
Differences of physical build and temperament will compel 
players to vary, to some extent, in their positions and stances. 
("Stance," a golf term denoting position of feet, almost 
expresses, by its sound, what is meant.) The underlying prin- 
ciples of correct style will still prevail among the good players, 
no matter how widely their individual peculiarities may vary. 

TAKE TIME IN PITCHING. 

One bit of advice to the young pitcher before he begins to 
pitch. It is : 

Take your time. No ball pitched in a hurry can be a good 
ball. Be as deliberate as you please before winding up to pitch. 
Take your time, especially when the batters want you to hurry. 
If you have been hit a couple of times in succession, go slowly. 
Not in any case does the pitcher lose anything by going slowly. 

On the other hand, don't be so slow as to be a drag on the 
game. Lay out and pursue a middle course. 



12 SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 

"Play" has been called. The batter is ready. The coachers 
begin their chatter. The team behind you is talking and encour- 
aging you. The ball is in your hand. Your catcher gives you 
the sign. 

Pitch. 

HOW THE BALL SHOULD BE HELD. 

How do you hold the ball in your hand for the pitch? 

For a fast ball: Hold the ball firmly between the tips of the 
two first fingers and the first joint of the thumb- Use as little 
of the fingers and of the thumb as you can, but get a good 
firm grip on the ball. 

The importance of holding the ball in the extreme tips of the 
fingers and thumb, consistent with a firm grip, is that the less 
finger and thumb space you lay on the ball the more speed you 
will get on the pitch. 

The fast ball owes nothing to the thumb but the service of 
being held in place. The fast ball should be pitched off the tips 
of the first and second fingers. Too much thumb on it will 
take away from the speed and "shoot," or "hop," or "wave," 
that is so important to a fast ball. 

Boys under fifteen have found it hard to curve the "big" ball 
when grasping it between the fingers and thumb. So they have 
shifted over between the second and third fingers and the base 
of the thumb. This habit is enough to ruin any young pitcher. 
It ties up his fingers, locks his wrist, stiffens his arm action, 
deprives him of a free overhand mO'tion, reduces his speed, 
spoils his control, and prevents him from developing a change 
of pace, all of which are of the greatest value in pitching. Don't 
pitch the curve ball off the base of the thumb. Grip the ball as 
far forward in the fingers and thumb as you find effective. Let 
the arm hang easily by your side. Stand easily on the plate with 
both feet. Take the sign from your catcher. Let him know that 
his sign has been taken and will be respected. Wind up easily 
and slowly. We mean, o-f course, with no one on base. 

The young pitcher's wind-up must suit him. He must be the 
judge of that. A long, easy wind-up, several swings of the arm 
around the head, is to be commended. Some good pitchers use 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 13 

a very short wind-up. Get the "spikes" well into the rubber 
and into the ground. Having wound up, you go back for your 
pitch. Slowly, slowly. If you go back too fast you will lose 
your balance and control. Your eye will become confused. 
"Slow back" is a golden axiom in golf that is as good in Base 
Ball. Go back slowly for your pitch when the bases are not 
occupied. Do not, at any time, go back with a violent jerk. 

While going back keep your eye on the exact spot where you 
mean to put the ball. Never take it off. Let the free foot go 
up as high as it wants to go. Bend the knee if it wants to 
bend. Go slowly, but do not stop or pause during the motion. 
When you get back as far as it is convenient to you, do not 
pause at the finish of your backward swing. Come forward 
powerfully and vigorously, but not violently. 

"Bending far back" is almost indispensable to good pitching. 
Rube Waddell always said that he pitched good ball only when he 
was bending away back. Walter Johnson, a Hthe, supple-jointed 
man, goes back so far that his knuckles almost touch the 
ground when he reaches the limit of his back swing. How far 
a pitcher shall go back depends upon himself, upon his build, 
his leg power, his back power, his weight, his physical condition 
and his temperament. 

In any event, go back as far as is convenient to you. Try to 
develop as full a swing as is possible. 

Putting too much force on the ball — pressing — is bad. Come 
along with a powerful sweep all the way from your spikes. 
Come with the hand well over the line of the shoulder. Let 
the ball go off the finger tips at the right time. The proper 
time will indicate itself to you. Learn not to stop your body 
motion when you let go the ball, but continue it until it stops 
of its own accord. Follow through. Almost all the good 
pitchers "follow through" well. 

Never take your eye off the place you mean the ball to go 
until the catcher has it in his mitt or the batter pops up a fly. 

Don't try to put too much speed on your pitch. Just use a 
good free overhand motion, keeping well within your power. 
Don't try to put all the strength you have on every ball. Skill, 




1 — Willie Mitchell starting a pitch. 2 — Ruclher finishing one. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 15 

not Strength, does the work. Practise, not brute strength, will 
teach you how. Work easily. A pitcher should always have 
lots of strength in reserve. 

HOW SPEED IS PRODUCED. 

Speed is not produced solely in the shoulder or arm. Speed 
and power get their origin in the spikes. That is what makes 
spikes, and the way you use them, so important in Base Ball. 
The young pitcher should learn to get a firm grip on the edge 
of the rubber with both heel and toe spikes. His whole body, 
his speed, his control, his success depends upon getting a good 
grip on the rubber with his spikes. Speed comes, first, from 
the spikes; then, from the toes and the instep; then, from the 
ankle, the knee, the thigh, the hip, the back, the shoulder, the 
upper arm, the forearm, the wrist and the first and second 
fingers. Even the muscles of the abdomen help to produce speed. 

No one of these thingsi can alone produce speed. You must 
get all the machine to work together with an easy, smooth, cer- 
tain motion. Too much stress cannot be laid on the value of a 
good grip with the spikes on the pitching rubber. It is one of 
the vital essentials in pitching. 

BE PARTICULAR ABOUT CONTROL. 

Do not be disturbed if you lack control when you first try to 
pitch. Get the correct motion and the necessary speed. Then, 
before you try the curve or anything else, get control. This is 
done by constant, careful practise. Control does not mean, as most 
young pitchers think it means, putting the ball through the center 
of the plate. Control means putting the ball just where you want 
to put it. Control, to me, means keeping the ball on or near the 
corners, not through the center of the plate. There are four cor- 
ners to the plate. To snip the edge of any of these corners or 
sides is as much a strike as if you laid the ball through the very 
center of the plate, which is the place where the batter wants you 
to put it. Never put a ball in the middle O'f the plate if you can 
avoid doing so. Keep the fast ball high. It "shoots" best when 
kept high. Some batters like high balls. For these, a fast ball at 
the knee Is very effective. Or inside, over the hands. Or under 
his chin. 



16 SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 

WHAT MAKES A FAST BALL "HOP"? 

However^ a good fast ball, even when pitched through the 
middle of the plate, is good against all but professionals. The 
average amateur gets so little hitting that he cannot swing fast 
enough to time accurately a good fast ball. So a real, good fast 
ball, without a "shoot," will beat almO'St all amateur batters. 
A good fast ball that "hops" or "waves" will beat fhe best bat- 
ters in the world. The "hop" or "wave" is caused by the air 
packing up in front of the fast ball so that it impedes its speed. 
The air forms a cushion in front of the ball so heavy that, to 
avoid it, the ball, especially if it has a little backspin on it, will 
hesitate for an incalculable period of time, then will rise, or 
slide off the cushion of air, taking on renewed speed when it 
overcomes the impediment. This "wave," "hop," "shoot," as it 
is called, is almost unhittable. The ball changes direction just 
as the batter hits at it; "hops" or "waves" over his bat, or 
"shoots" in, so that it hits the handle of the bat. Further, this 
"hopping" fast ball comes at the batter with fhree different 
speeds, all condensed into few inches of space, just at the time 
the batter starts his swing. 

No wonder "Miner" Brown, one of the greatest of all pitch- 
ers, said that he did not fear to pitch his fast ball to the 
batter's strong point when it was "hopping." 

The best of these three changes of direction is the "hop" or 
the "wave." This "hop," or "wave," or "shoot," cannot be pro- 
duced at will. The best pitchers in the world, famed for their 
"hops" or "waves," such as Charley Nichols, "Cy" Young and 
"Miner" Brown, had days when they had lots of speed but 
could not get a "hop" on the ball. That is why Brown said 
"if" when he spoke of the virtues of his fast ball. 

The "hop" and "wave" have their basis in a nice, easy over- 
hand, letting the ball go off the tips of the fingers with a 
sort of backspin. They cannot be produced by pressing or by 
any intentional act of the pitcher. They just happen. 

Walter Johnson, like Young, depends almost entirely upon his 
fast ball. There have been times when Johnson has been hit 
hard. It is safe to assume that at these times Johnson's fast 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 17 

ball was not "hopping." A fast ball without a "hop" or "shoot" 

may not be effective against professionals, though it have great 
speed. The fact that the fast ball will not always act as it 
should act is what makes change of pace and curve so valuable 
to a pitcher. 

Change of pace, based on the possession of a ripping good 
fast ball and control, is among the greatest assets of a pitcher. 
After it comes a good, fast, quick-breaking curve. 

WHAT A PITCHER SHOULD HAVE. 

Given a good fast ball and three changes of pace — medium 
fast, medium, and medium slow — a pitcher will not need a curve 
at all. If he has a good slow ball, too, he should be invincible, 
even in the fastest company. A good motion means good con- 
trol. I have never seen a pitcher with a good motion who did 
not have good control. Good control comes naturally with a 
good motion, as day comes after night. On the other hand, it 
is aimost impossible to secure good control with a bad motion. 

An instance of how lack of control will handicap an other- 
wise great pitcher is to be seen in the case of Grover Lowder- 
milk, who has had a varied career in both major and many 
minor leagues. Lowdermilk had one of the very best fast balls 
ever pitched and a good curve. His fast ball was almost unhit- 
table. It had a tremendous inshoot and great speed. But Low- 
dermilk never had a good motion. So he never could acquire 
control. He was always noted for giving an unusual number of 
bases on balls. Bad control, due to a fundamentally bad motion, 
cost Lowdermilk a high place in Base Ball. 

Get control Control is the result of a good fundamental 
motion and diligent practise. 

ABOUT SIDEARM PITCHERS. 

If you are a natural or confirmed sidearm thrower and find 
it easy to pitch that way and difficult to go up overhand, pitch 
as is easiest to you. Some sidearm pitchers are very effective. 
They throw a heavy ball with a wide "inshoot" and get a good 
curve. But sidearm is hard on the arm. It is hard to get control 



18 SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 

with it; almost impossible to develop change of pace, and side- 
armers wear out much quicker than overhanders. 

Some class Walter Johnson as a sidearm pitcher. He is not 
"dead overhand," but he brings his' arm above his shoulder for 
his pitch. Anything above the shoulder is overhand, while any- 
thing between the shoulder and the hip is sidearm. 

Every young pitcher should have what is known as "one off 
the hip," which means ai sidearm ball thrown by turning the 
back to the batter and jerking the ball at the plate from the 
hip. This is a sort of sidearm ball and may be practised later 
on. A sidearm cross-fire is also useful. A good pitcher should 
be able to use the sidearm at times, but overhand should always 
be the fundamental style of pitching and of throwing. . 

HOW TO GET CHANGE OF PACE. 

Change of pace is of vital importance. The point in change of 
pace is this: "The hatter must always he ready to defend the 
plate against a fast halt. I'll give him a slow, or slower, hall." 

Next to a good fast ball, change of pace is the thing to be 
most desired, even more desired than a curve. Pace is changed 
by shifting the ball back into the fingers, taking the first joints 
of the fingers off the ball and pitching it from the second joints, 
gripping it with all four fingers and thumb spreading the two 
first fingers far apart, and pitching the ball from between them 
and the thumb. Some pitchers do not change grip on the ball 
to get a change of pace, but hold back the shoulder muscles or 
moderate the entire motion. These latter devices are not to be 
recommended. Practise with the various grips indicated will tell 
the young pitcher what particular grip is best for him. 

A straight, slow ball which is really good should float, without 
spinning or revolving, to the batter. The slow ball is very hard 
to acquire. It is, of course, a change of pace and a great asset 
when it is good. It is usually pitched close into the batter's 
neck or low on the outside corner. It is not wise, as a rule, to 
pitch a slow ball high or over the plate. Many pitchers, however, 
do drop a slow curve into the exact center of the plate to catch 
the batter off guard. To throw a slow ball in a pinch, with the 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 19 

call three balls and two strikes, is one of the most daring and 
dangerous but the most attractive — and, often, most effective— 
of pitching feats. Only a finished pitcher should essay this play. 
The slow ball is used more as a deceiver, away from the plate, 
than as a "plate splitter." It should be preceded by a fast ball 
or fast curve. 'When a batter has been looking at speed, or 
expects speed, a change of pace puzzles him sadly. He will hit 
too quickly at the ball, miss, or pop up a fly. 

PITCHING THE CURVE BALL. 

When a young pitcher has mastered the fast ball and change 
of pace and has acquired reasonable control he may work to 
develop a good curve ball. 

To produce the curve (drop or out) the ball should be held 
much as it is held for the fast ball. Probably the young pitcher 
will find that he must apply more finger and thumb space to the 
ball to get a curve than he applied to get a fast ball. He must 
grasp the curve ball farther back in the fingers and thumb than 
for the fast ball. 

Having got the correct grip on the ball for the curve, pitch it 
with exactly the same motion as that with which you pitch the 
fast ball. Go back as far as is convenient to you. Come for- 
ward with an easy swing. As the hand passes the point of the 
shoulder, give the wrist a quick snap outward, let the ball roll 
off the side of the fingers instead of off the tips of the fingers, 
as with the fast ball. Aim to make the ball "break" or "curve" 
at a certain point and to put it either over the plate for a strike, 
or to carry it away from the batter, so that he may miss it or 
hit it with the end of his bat for a weak grounder, a fly, or 
a foul. 

Do not slow up on your speed to produce a curve. Try to 
pitch a curve with as much speed as you get on your fast ball. 
The faster the curve the better. Of course, the curve is sus- 
ceptible to all the changes of pace to which a fast ball is suscep- 
tible. Learn, first, to pitch a fast, quick-breaking, ripping curve. 
Then change the pace on it from fast to medium fast, to 
medium, to slow. You can put as many variations of pace on 
a fast or curve ball as you wish to put on it. 



20 SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 

However, a pitcher, especially a young pitcher, can try too 
many varieties of balls. Few professional pitchers can success- 
fully practise all the numerous devices and tricks of the art. 
For all purposes a good fast ball, a good curve, and three 
changes of pace — medium fast, medium, and slow — will carry a 
pitcher to the highest places in the major leagues. Many major 
league pitchers have not any one of these. 

If you have not a sound style you will not go very far in any 
game or last very long. Some men, without any style, succeed 
for a short time. They rarely endure. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 21 



Pitchers' Peculiarities 

Pitchers have personal pecuHarities which are often of great 
value to them. A man who pitches a fast ball with a slow 
motion bothers a batter very much. A slow ball with a fast 
motion is almost quite as worrisome. A trick of natural hesi- 
tation in deHvery is also very puzzling. The pitcher who steps 
before he throws (Mathewson did this) worries a batter very 
much. He expects the arm and the ball to come with the step. 
He gets ready to hit to the step. The ball does not come with 
the foot. Hence, the batter is off balance when the ball comes. 

These little peculiarities should be preserved in pitchers. All 
pitchers cannot use the same motion, the same time, etc. Build, 
musculafr construction, temperamental differences will make 
variation enough in pitching. We will, and should, have some 
sidearmers, some underhanders. But for general usage, the 
overhand motion — the free arm swing — is the proper thing for 
pitching and for long throws. A wise coach will, however, 
preserve a valuable peculiarity of a pitcher, even if it may seem 
to violate good style. 




-I'ositiun of pitcher's feet on rubber with no one on base. 2 — Position of 
pitcher's feet on rubber, runner on first. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 23 



Pitching with Runners on Base 

With a runner on first or second base the pitcher must change 
the position of his feet on the rubber and shorten his swing. 
He puts one foot on the rubber and advances the other foot 
well towards the batter. Then he watches the base-runner's lead 
that it may not be too long. When ready to pitch, he does so 
without any wind-up and with a short motion. Do not go back 
for this motion with a jerk. Go back smoothly, and come for- 
ward the same way. Follow through well. With a runner on 
third a pitcher may take a long wind-up, but not too long or too 
slow, lest the runner steal home. 

Some advise young pitchers not to worry about runners on 
base; not to weary themselves by throwing to base to hold run- 
ners on. 

I disagree. Hold the runners close to base. Throw easily, 
steadily to base, to hold runners on. Six, seven or eight times 
to first base. When a runner has to slide back six or seven 
times he will not be as fast as if he didn't have to slide at all. 
Don't press the throw to base or try to nip the runner off. Use 
a steady, sure throw. Drive him back rather than catch him off. 
Then, after several deliberate throws, snap one over quickly and 
you may catch him. 

Throwing to first while a nervous batter worries at the plate is 
good tactics. Let him worry. Take your time. Hold the run- 
ners close to the bags. Never mind the "away from home" 
crowd. 



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SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 25 



What Constitutes Good Pitchind 

Good pitching, in my opinion, means not placing the ball over 
the "heart of the plate," but in "tickling" the edges and "cor- 
ners," or, better still, by inducing the batter to hit at balls 
pitched "off" the plate. To induce a batter to hit at bad balls 
you must have something to induce him to hit at. "Tie a blue 
ribbon" on it, or make it look like a sugar plum. In other words, 
make it look too good to be let alone. 

When a pitcher means to pitch a ball "off" the plate he should 
never put much "stuff," speed or curve on it, but "dress it up" 
to look "soft" to the batter. -When you must put the ball over 
the plate, put all you have on it — a good "hop," a sharp, fast 
curve ; or, in a pinch, a good change of pace. Keep it as low or 
as high as possible, yet within the legal limits of a strike. A 
good low ball at the knee is very hard to hit, especially if it is 
a curve or has a good shoot on it. But if the fast ball is "hop- 
ping," the shoulder is as good a place as any. 

The pitcher should never, if he can possibly avoid it, put the 
ball over the plate between the batter's thighs and the letters on 
his shirt. That is the "groove" where they hit them hardest 
and farthest. 

So keep the ball as low, as high and as much on the inside 
and outside of the plate as is possible. The ball at the knee will 
bother more batters than any other ball. The pitcher who can 
vary his fast ball and curve two inches below the knee and two 
inches above It will not be hit very much. 

THE ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES. 
The first principles of pitching should incorporate ability to 
throw the ball at every conceivaible angle likely to delude the 
batter, and at the sam.e time never go exactly across home plate, 
avoiding it by inches as much as possible. In other words, my 
theory of control is control just to miss home plate, and not to 
aim directly over home plate, which is a theory no doubt much 
opposed to that of others. 



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SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 27 

The scheme of this system is contained in Figures 1 to 12, 
illustrated in the accompanying three pages. As it is impossible 
in a drawing to show the relation of the ball to the home plate 
when the ball is at varying heights, the expedient has been adopted 
of elevating the plate in an imaginary manner so that the reader 
will form an idea of where the ball would pass the actual home 
plate when thrown at the height indicated. All dotted lines of 
which the ball is a part as sketched are lines of direction from 
the position of the pitcher. 

In Fig. 1, for example, I am illustrating pitching "oflf" the 
plate. The dots, showing the imaginary surface of the top of 
home plate below the knee and above the shoulders, are arranged 
with the customary triangular back, as home plate fits into the 
base lines. The ball, as indicated, is in the positions for which 
the pitcher should strive. He should keep away from the center 
of home plate as much as possible. In Fig. 2 the ball is shown 
being pitched waist high just outside the plate. In Fig. 3 it is 
shown being pitched waist high just inside the plate. In Fig. 4 
it is shown being pitched above the shoulder and just inside the 
plate. When pitched inside the plate it is the general custom to 
use speed, which baffles the batter, because the ball, close to 
him, cannot be gauged successfully and is hit on the bat handle. 

In Fig. 5 the ball is being pitched just outside the plate and 
above the knee. In Fig. 6 it is being pitched just inside the 
plate and below the knee. In Fig. 7, inside the plate and above 
the knee. In Fig. 8 I have illustrated the cross-fire in an exag- 
gerated manner, in order that the beginner may understand the 
principle. The cross-fire must be deceptive from the start of 
the pitch to the finish. 

In Fig. 9 the ball is shown outside the plate, neck high, a ball 
which will fool batters who are disposed to "chase" the ball. In 
Fig. 10 it is shown inside the plate, shoulder high. This is 
deceptive to the batter who does not follow the ball all "the 
way up" with his eye. In Fig. 11 the ball is shown going 
directly over the plate but below the knee. If the batter is 
clever he will not swing at such a ball, as the umpire must call 
it a ball. The principal point about the use of this ball, how- 
ever, is that it is of the type at which few batters can forego 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 29 

swinging, and if they meet it they are more likely to lift the 
ball into the air for an easy out than they are to bat it safely. 
In Fig. 12 the ball is shown inside home plate and below the 
knee. This is a ball which deceives pronounced low ball hitters 
with a tendency toward a free swing. 

It is possible to hit all of these balls, which have been illus- 
trated as just outside home plate, but they cannot be batted 
with the same degree of certainty and force as the ball which 
is centered on the plate. Pitchers should not center the ball. 
Of course, there are times when the ball must be pitched over 
the plate, and the pitcher should be able to "whistle it over the 
plate" when the emergency arises, but I again repeat that my 
theory of pitching is the control which just avoids the plate, 
"teases" the batter all of the time, and induces him to strike at 
bad balls that "look good." That weakens his attack, even 
though he is meeting the ball constantly. The pitcher should 
try to obtain that control which brings about weak hitting 
because of seductive pitching, rather than weak hitting because 
of speed and curves which are on the home plate most of the 
time, but are deceptive rather than attractive. 

The black marks at shoulder and knee on each illustration of 
the batter on the accompanying three pages, indicate the limits 
of what constitutes a fair ball when over the plate. 

POSITION OF THE BATTER. 

The diagrams show a right-hand batter at home plate, but 
the methods for pitching, as based upon my theory, apply 
without change to a left-hand batter. If a left-hand batter is 
given a ball which is at a height permitting him to swing on 
it with full force, providing the speed is not over accelerated, 
he will pull it to right field. It will go with such force that it 
will hug the base line. If the first baseman fails to stop it, the 
chances are ten to one, perhaps more, that it will be a per- 
fectly safe long-distance hit. 

As much attention must be paid to the batter when the 
bases are unoccupied as is paid to him when one or all of 
them are occupied. Carelessness is costly always in a ball 
game. If the first batter gets on first base the game immedi- 



30 SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 

ately has a base-running- element in it as well as a batting 
element. The pitcher faces his share of the problem of keep- 
ing the runner from advancing by having to watch him closely. 
He must also try to retire the next batter. Hence the more 
frequently the side can be retired in one-two-three order the 
better from a good pitching standpoint. 

WATCHING THE BATTER'S FEET. 

Keep an eye on the way in which a batter holds his feet. 
When you see him "dig in," that is, take a fixed position, try 
to keep the ball away from him. Pitch it outside. He is 
braced to hit it if you pitch it inside. If it is outside, where 
he must hit at it or be called out on strikes, he is pretty sure 
to hit off his balance. His swing will lose its effectiveness 
when that happens. The ball is more likely to be lifted easily 
into the air where it can be caught by a fielder than it is to 
carry like a rifle shot between the infielders to the outfielders. 
That is where the pitcher shines. 

If the batter crouches keep the ball high, so he will scoop 
it when he swings at it. If he stands close to the plate — 
"crowds it," the professionals call it — keep the ball as close to 
him as possible. Shoot it in so that he will be more likely to 
meet the ball with the handle of the bat than with the thick 
of it. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 31 

Fundamentals of Batting 

Whatever you may do at the bat, be aggressive. Attack. Never 
let the pitcher drive you into a condition of defense. When a 
batter defends, he is beaten. Grab the upper hand. Hold it. Go 
at him. 

Attack! Attack!! ATTACK!!! He may strike you out 
three times. Attack him the fourth time as if you had made 
three home runs off him. 

Most boys use a bat that is too heavy. They can't swing it 
properly. So it swings them. They grip it out of balance, so 
lose force of stroke. Only boys with very good eyes can use a 
long bat and take a long swing. A short bat is desirable for 
boys who have not good hitting eyes and who take a short- 
hitting step. The Spalding Junior "Players' Autograph" Bat, 
No. 150J, is recommended for boys and endorsed by the author. 

Having bought a bat, fake care of it. A good bat is priceless. 
It should bq to the ball player what a rare violin is to the 
musician. Every boy should own his own bat. This is of the 
utmost importance. You can't pick up any bat and hit with it. 
Own and take care of your own bat? Take it with you every- 
where you play. You can't do yourself justice with any but 
your own bat. Yet many professional players yi^ill go out with- 
out their own bats and pick up and bat with any bat they can 
find. This is doing themselves a great injustice. Own, prize 
and take care of your own bat. 

PROPER GRIP ON THE BAT. 

The grip of the hands on the bat is important. The best 
advice that can be offered is to grip it after the fashion that 
"feels best" to you. Many great hitters grip the bat with the 
hands some distance apart. Cobb is one of these. Other 
great hitters place the hands as close together as possible. I 
favor this last grip. Cobb is unique, a "freak," so to speak, in 
Base Ball. He bats with his head, his feet, everything. Most 
players bat with the bat. If you are a Cobb, all right. Do as 
you please. But the average boy will be an average player and 
should follow the average, standard style. If he is an excep- 
tion, he will show it. 



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How Ruth starts his swin". Note that the forward foot and shoulder 
are far into the line of the pitch. Ruth waggles the bat and goes back 
for his swing. ]\Iark the tremendous power Ruth gets into his right arm 
and right side. Like a good golfer, he "pulls" the bat through, instead ot 
shoving or pushing it Dcly. Thus Ruth gets his entire body into his swing. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 33 

HOLDING THE BAT IN BALANCE. 

It is of the greatest importance that you shall grip the bat 
so that it will balance well in the hand. Most boys grip the 
bat too close to the extreme end. Some bats balance well when 
held by the extreme end. 

Most bats balance best when held four or five inches from the 
end. A good deal depends on the strength of the hitter. Some 
batters handicap themselves by holding the bat at the extreme 
end. This seems to make the blade of the bat too heavy and 
to have the effect of making the bat swing the batter instead of 
the batter swing the bat. Frank Schulte, a great hitter, held his 
bat at the extreme end. It balanced there. Schulte's bat had but 
an inch or two of hitting face, right on the end. Only a man of 
great wrist power and of extra good eye could use such a bat 
effectively. The average batter will find a medium bat, which 
balances four or five inches from the end, with as lo-ng a hitting 
face as possible, most serviceable. 

Many good hitters "choke," that is, hold, the bat far up the 
handle and hit with a short chop rather than with a swing. 
Billy Keeler, a great hitter, was the leading exponent of this 
style. "Choking" the bat is advisable for boys who lack really 
good eyes. A "choked" bat and "chop" swing, a wide stance 
and shortened hitting step, are to be recommended to boys who 
lack good eyes and who have a habit of stepping away from 
the pitch; also for boys who look for bases on balls. Miller 
Huggins was a good exponent of the Keeler "choked" bat, chop- 
hitting and short-stepping style. 

THE WAGGLE AT THE PLATE. 

While standing to the plate, awaiting the pitcher's pleasure, 
the batter "waggles" or swings the bat to and fro. A few 
batters hold the bat on the shoulder without motion. 

Which method is best? 

There can be no harm in the waggle or gentle horizontal 
motion of the bat to and fro, provided the motion is not vio- 
lent and is to the rear of the batter rather than in front of him. 
A quick or violent waggle is bad. It tends to throw the batter 
off balance, enables the pitcher to catch him off balance and 








Speaker's standard stance and beautiful swing, started at the level of 

the shoulder. It is hard to imorove upon this. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 35 

interferes with the surety of the eye. Never push the bat out 
in front of you and shake it or waggle it there. A quick 
delivery will find you unready to hit — "tie you up," as Base 
Ball players say. If you do hit, you hit late, then your swing 
is "smothered" by the ball and you put up a fly ball to the 
infield. Most good batters use the gentle, easy waggle while at 
bat. A few hold the bat perfectly still, as far back as they 
intend to hold it, and are always ready to hit from that position. 

If you must waggle the bat, do so easily, to and fro, along the 
level of the belt. Do not take up the bat and waggle it at the 
level of the shoulder or of the eyes; shake it at the pitcher, so to 
speak. A low ball will worry a batter who waggles the bat 
above his shoulder. A fast ball will catch him unready to meet 
it. Similarly, a high ball will bother the batter who waggles the 
bat below the line of the belt. The line of the belt is the best 
place for the waggle while awaiting the pitcher. There, the bat 
is in the best hitting zone. Also it does not please most catchers 
to have the bat waggled across their eyes as they crouch behind 
the plate. 

The waggle should never go so far as to twist the forward 
shoulder away from the line of the pitch. To do so causes 
unnecessary motion of the head and eye, which is bad for 
hitting. 

The stiller the head and eye are kept zvhen hitting, the better 
for the hitter. Golfers have long ago r^ecognizcd this fact. Only 
a very good eye can be good while the head or the spine is in 
motion. 

STANCE IMPORTANT IN BATTING. 
Next to a good eye, the most important thing in batting is 
a good "stance"— or stand— at the plate. A good "stance" pro- 
duces a ^ood step and a good swing. These things are almost 
as important as a good eye. So every boy should read, and 
re-read, this chapter on stance carefully, and carefully observe 
the stances of the great players pictured in this book and in the 
Spalding Base Ball Guide. There are many variations of stance. 
Underlying all of them is one great standard style practised, in 
one way or another, by all the great professionals. 



36 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 




The standard stance of all great hitters is : 
Stand with the feet as close together as is comfortable and 
easy. Be particular to take an easy stance at the bat. 

The foot nearest the pitcher is in closer to the line of the 
pitchy or the inside line of the batter's box, or to the plate, 
than the rear foot. This position is imperative if you wish to 
become a good hitter. Without a single exception, all the good 
hitters deliver their blows with the forward foot closer to the 
line of the pitch than the other foot. Groh of Cincinnati and 
Lajoie stanced full facing the pitcher. One would think they 
hit that way. Not at all. They take an original stand different 
from most good hitters. But they shift position as the pitcher 
winds up. When they deliver their bat stroke they have the 
forward foot and shoulder closer to the line of the pitch than 
the near foot and shoulder. The shoulder, of course, follows the 
foot. 

THE FORWARD FOOT AND SHOULDER. 

There is no point in this book which is so urged upon the 

young player as to be sure that, when he hits, his forward foot 

and shoulder shall be closer to the line of the pitch than the 

rear foot and shou Ider . Next to a good 

eye, this is the most vital point in 

baiting in Base Ball. 

I will go so far as to say that yO'U 
cannot become a good hitter unless 
you have the forward foot and shoul- 
der closer to the line of the pitch than 
the back foot and shoulder. Every 
good hitter hits that way. No bad 
hitter hits that way. No good hitter 
steps away from the line of the pitch. 
Most bad batters do step away. The 
great batters usually take but one 
step to hit. They take stances in the 
box so that this step puts the for- 
ward foot even with or a little ahead of the front of the plate. 
This is good batting. The pitcher must attack the plate. The 
place to meet his pitch is at the plate. 




Speaker's beautiful 
"sneak up." 




1-Huggins' base on"balls stance. 2-Schulte's fine stance with forward 
foot well into the line of the pitch, and shoulder in also. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 



VARIETIES OF HITTING STEP. 

Some batters take two, or even three, steps to hit.' Groh and 
Lajoie take three steps, two to get into proper hitting position, 
the forward, foot and shoulder into the line of the pitch, then 
the hitting step. Speaker usually hits with one step, but now 
and then takes a beautiful panther-like sneak of three short 
steps upon the pitch. 

Speaker's "sneak up" is so taking that we will discuss it at 
lengtl^ here. 

Speaker takes his usual standard stance. When the pitcher 
starts his wind-up Speaker takes two short, slow steps forward, 
then another step to hit. This is a beautiful and effective style 
for a man who has an eye good enough to use it. I cannot 
praise it too warmly. It is the most beautiful attack I have 
ever seen made by a batter on a pitched ball. 

Cobb's style varies. In the main it is standard, back so far in 
the box that a single step brings his forward foot just beyond 
the front line of the plate. -But Cobb will stand in all parts of 
the box, will take one, two, three o'* 
five steps, step in, step away, step 
back, do anything. Cobb is a unique 
player and cannot be recommended for 
imitation. He is inimitable. If you 
are another Cobb, be another Cobb. 
That is all. 

Cobb is a batter who got ideas by 
observing others, and every time that 
any boy hears that Cobb can do this 
and Cobb can do that, let the boy re- 
member that Cobb was not too proud 
to watch the other fellow, and note 
what he did. He compared the per- 
formances of other players with his 
own, and availed himself of every 
point which he thought would make his owa-work better. He 
watched stance, grip, start — indeed, everything — and was not 
backward about saying that he did so. 




The " run-up " batting 
step used by many left- 
handed batters. 




'•^^' 



w 




Sisler keeps his forward foot and shoulder ^ve^ into the line of the pitch 
and swings with a level bat. 




Bad stand and bat grip. Forward foot and shoulder away from plate. 
Bat held out of balance. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 



41 




PwiionlXj 





J. Carlisle Smith's run-up Groh's shift. From rear 

in batter's box. of batter's box toward 

home plate. 

J. Carlisle Smith, for instance, has a bold and taking, yet not 
certain, attack on the pitch. Smith full-faces the pitcher. When 
the latter winds up Smith takes a run. He may take two or three 
or four or five steps. Smith hits well. His gallant attack is 
very attractive. But it requires a wonderful eye to execute it 
successfully. Groh is the only man who has an eye good enough 
to hit well while running up on the ball. Groh does not run up 
as Smith runs. 

Speaker's stance at the plate and attack on the ball is effective, 
beautiful and may be copied by young players with vast advan- 
tage. Groh's style is very good for boys who have eyes good 
enough to use it effectively. But all motion, even the motion of 
the head without any motion of the feet or body, is' trying on 
the eye. 

Groh and Lajoie have one vast advantage in their style of 
hitting: They move in' and out to the pitch, and the pitcher 
cannot, in the words of the diamond, "stand 'em up." 

That is to say, he cannot measure their steps or the probable 
reach of their bats and keep the ball out of reach. They are 
liable to step farther in than he expected and hit a ball pitched 
far inside the plate. They never get stuck in the ground, as 
the old players called batters who put their foot in one hole 





The "Drive," in which the ball is hit as it is opposite the forward foot to 
send it over second base. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 



43 





Standard stance and one batting George Davis's shift, from 

step, the fundamental of all either side of plate, 

good batting. 

and kept it there. They move to the pitch. They are very hard 

men "to pitch to." 

Speaker's style is beautiful and good. So are the styles of 
Hornsby, Elmer Smith, Max Carey, George Sisler and practically 
all the great hitters. While they vary in individual traits, they 
all hit alike, stand back of the plate, take one step to fetch their 
forward foot to or a little beyond the front line of the plate, 
keep the forward foot and shoulder closer to the line of the pitch 
than the other foot, and swing with a level bat. 

WATCH THE GREAT PLAYERS. 
Watching the feet, step, body, bat, hands and swings of the 
famous batters is a splendid way of learning to hit. Pick out a 
star hitter whose build resembles yours. Watch his style, his 
feet, his waggle, his swing. You may be obliged to modify any 
chosen stance to suit your own peculiar physical, mental and 
optical limitations. You may resemble a great hitter in build. 
A difference in eye may prevent you from adopting his style. 
The eye plays a large part in forming a hitting style. Men who 
have exceptionally good eyes, like Groh and Lajoie, can take 
liberties with a pitched ball that men with eyesight which is less 
keen cannot take. 



44 SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 

There is Ruth, for instance, with his magnificent home run 
record. Men who have watched him closely are of opinion that 
a great portion of his ability as a batsman is due to the fact that 
his eyesight is better than the average ; a great deal better, in 
fact. He hits the ball full in the center when he makes his best 
long distance hits. You can tell by the sound of the bat against 
the ball that he has "flattened" the ball. That means that he 
has met it squarely at the point of contact and has gained a lo-ng 
flight because he has thrown force into his swing and the force 
comes not alone from his strength but because he has hit the 
ball with the greatest amount of bat surface. 

However, in choosing a great player as a mo-del, it is well to 
imitate, take the average, the standard, for a model, and to let 
the extraordinary players alone. 

BEST HITTING STEPS. 

Having secured a good, sound, standard stance, the young 
batter can study step. I like one step, though Speaker's trick 
of two short steps and a third step to hit is good. Step easily, 
yet firmly. Do not hit before or after; your step. Hit with 
your step. The bat should meet the ball as your foot strikes 
the ground at the finish of your hitting step. Keep the foot 
close to the ground as you step. A high step is a bad fault. 

THE ADVANTAGE OF A LEVEL SWING. 

One last word of advice about hitting style. Next to a good 
eye and a good stance and a good step is, "Swing with a 
level bat." 

A level swing is most important. The reason is that if the 
bat is held level it will meet the ball sooner or later during the 
swing. You will not miss and strike out. A down stroke or an 
up stroke will carry across the path of the ball and is very 
liable to mistime and miss it. A level bat will meet the ball 
somewhere, even if the ball is mistimed. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 



THE THREE STROKES OF BATTING. 
There are three fundamental standard strokes in batting. 
They are, for a right-hander, the Pull, to left field ; the Drive, 
to center field, and thei Cut, to right field. 

A bunt may be pulled, driven or cut. A ball hit to right field 
with a full swing is not a cut. It is a "slice." A cut is driven 
with a short "chop," mostly a motion of the wrists, and is a 
deliberate attempt to hit to right field. Most balls hit to right 
field on a hit-and-run play are cut, not driven. The left-hand 
batter, of course, "pulls" a ball to right field and "cuts" it to 
left field. Of these three strokes the most natural, the most 
commonly made and probably the most useful, is the "Pull." 

It is of great importance to remember that to "pull" a ball you 
must hit it before it gets even with your body. All good hitters 
meet the ball zvell ahead of the body when they want to pull if. 
Amateurs, and poor hitters, hit late. Good hitters are quick hit- 
ters. The "pull" is the most natural stroke. To make it you 
must hit quickly and meet the ball well before it gets to the plate. 
Balls pitched inside the middle line 

of the plate are easiest to "pull." It 

is almost impossible to "pull" a fast 

ball which comes high on the outside 

corner of the plate. So balls inside 

the middle line of the plate may be 

pulled to advantage, while balls on 

the outside corner may be driven to 

center. 

A fast ball is best suited to cut- 
ting. By letting a fast ball come 

well over the plate and hitting with 

a quick, short, chop stroke, a right- 
hand batter can get a nice single to 

right. The cut is of vast value when 

playing the hit-and-run play, hitting 

behind a runner, to right field. To 

cut successfully, you must keep well away from the ball. 

impossible to cut a ball which comes close to the body. 




A bad batting step, away 
from home plate — worst 
of all batting faults. 



mm 



'""HIT'' 



It is 




-<to«4^^ 




The "Cut." Ball hit after it has passed the center of the plate to cut 
over third base. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 47 

Very few Base Ball players cut well. Yet the stroke is a 
very essential one. It demands a fast ball, a quick eye and a 
pair of strong wrist's. The arms and body cut little figure in 
the cut s-troke. As the cut of a left-handed batter attacks the 
weakest spot on the diamond, third base, it should be practised 
by left-handed hitters. Jesse Burkett, a great left-handed hitter, 
was almost entirely a cutter, ^ 

BE A GOOD WAITER. 

Try to be what is known as a good ball hitter. Make the 
pitcher pitch until he gives you a good ball to hit. Do not be 
a "bad ball" hitter. Make him put them over the plate. A good 
waiter, a batter who makes the pitcher throw from seven to 
ten balls, is a valuable man on a team, even if he does not hit 
very heavily. 

Learn to get away quickly after you hit. A slow getaway 
after the hit handicaps most amateurs. But hit before you 
start to run. 

Every batter should be a good hunter. Pick the exact spot 
on which you wish to lay the ball. Stand flat-footed until the 
ball actually meets your bat. Then run. 

Do not run and try to bunt as you are running. Jesse 
Burkett, a famous hunter of the old Cleveland team, lost time 
by not running before he bunted, but saved time by laying the 
ball where the fielders had trouble reaching it. If a batter 
makes a fielder go two extra steps to get a ball he can run ten 
steps while the fielder is running two steps. 

Bat always, not for yourself, but for the team. 

Practise batting as much as possible. You can't get too much 
batting practise. The chances are that you never will get half 
enough batting practise. An hour's batting practise and ten 
minutes' fielding practise for each individual is my idea of 
proper relation of the two departments of Base Ball. Batting 
is difficult. Fielding is easy. So batting needs ten times more 
practise than fielding. 



/J/i 



W 








1— Proper manner in which to place the hands for ground ball; fielder 
in position to throw. 2 — Incorrect nianner in -yvhich to play a ground 
ball ; fielder in awkward attitude. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 49 

Points of Fielding 

Fielding, more practised than batting or pitching, is, to my 
mind, the least important thing in Base -Ball for the reason that 
any active boy with what is known as good hands can, with 
practise and some instruction, become a good fielder. Pitchers, 
batters and base-runners, on the other hand, must possess some 
original natural talent. Catching a fly is the easiest thing in 
Base .Ball. Good fielding is another thing. On the whole, it 
may be said that: 

A fly ball should always be taken so that the fielder is in 
position instantly to throw to the base to which he should throw. 

There are two ways of taking a fly ball: A fielder may take 
it with the hands cupped at his belt or with the hands held at 
the chest in the shape of a "V." 

There are unimportant modifications of these standard styles. 
Taking the ball with the cupped hands, knuckles down, at the 
belt, is the method most favored by experts. It is the most 
stylish and gives the fielder better chance to throw quickly than 
the "V" style. 

Either style is effective. I prefer to see a fielder, especially 
an outfielder, take the ball with the cupped hands at the belt, 
well in front of him, to taking it with the hands together in 
the "V" style at the chest. Another reason why the method of 
cupped hands at the belt is preferable is that the fielder can 
take the ball on the run towards the diamond and throw as he 
runs. Every outfi.elder and, if possible, every infielder, should 
be moving towards his play as he takes a fly ball. Outfielders 
should, if possible, manage to take all fly balls on the run— or, 
at least, on the move— towards the diamond. 

Some great fielders, notably Owen ("Chief") Wilson, made it 
a practise to circle back under high fly balls hit over their heads 
until they got the ball between them and the diamond. Then 
they would come in, take the ball on the run and, if necessary, 
throw to the proper base to stop or to hold a runner trying to 
advance. 

This style of taking a fly ball on the run towards the diamond 
is to be commended. It helps the fielder to get more power 



50 SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 

into his throw. It also tends to confuse a runner who is alert 
on a base ready to start the moment the ball touches the hands 
of the fielder. When he is in motion the fielder can take the 
ball high over his head, at his belt, or ofif his shoestrings. This 
will confuse the runner, who must await the actual catch before 
he can start from his base. The momentum of his run aids 
the fielder in making his throw. 

Always throw overhand from the far outfield to any base. If 
the throw is a long one and meant to stop a runner, better 
sacrifice a little time to power of throw and to accuracy. A 
hurried throw is rarely accurate. Nor does the ball travel as 
fast as when sped by an unhurried arm. So when you have to 
make a long throw to stop a runner, aim for power and accu- 
racy rather than try to save time by throwing in a hurry. 

Always bound a long throw to the baseman or catcher. Never 
try to make a long throw clean into the hands of the infielder 
or catcher. Keep the ball low. Let it take one long bound to 
the man who takes it. The ball takes renewed speed with the 
bound. 

Infielders catching fly balls should, if possible, take the ball 
with their faces toward the diamond. Thus they can see the 
next play. It is difficult to catch a fly ball going away from the 
batter. 

Never hold the ball in the outfield. Return it at once to the 
infield. You can't make a play by holding a ball. 

PICKING UP GROUND BALLS. 
Always, so far as possible, take a ground ball on the "short 
bound," that is, as it arises from the ground, not at the top of 
or the finish of its bound — "on the long bound," as profes- 
sionals call it. The short bound can't fool you. The long 
bound may fool you. So far as possible take all ground balls 
in front of the leg that is farthest back. Never, if you pos- 
sibly can, let a ground ball drive you to take it as you are 
backing up. When an infielder backs up on a ground ball he is 
lost. Always, if possible, come in on a ground ball. Do not 
wait for it, or retreat as it approaches. Always walk or, if you 
are obliged to do so, run in to meet the ground ball. "Play the 
ball," that is, command it and the situation. Advance upon it. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 51 

Never let the ball "play you," that is, force you to retreat or 
wait for it. 

Infielders will find it to their advantage to throw overhand, 
if they have time. It is easiest, most accurate and stylish. 
Second basemen should make the short throws underhand. It 
is the quicker and, for them, the more stylish method. 

A second baseman should never make the short throw to first 
overhand. It loses time and is not stylish. Infielders must 
throw from all positions. Avoid the sidearm or underhand on 
a long throw whenever possible. It is inaccurate and makes a 
heavy ball hard to handle at the receiving end. 

Always aim at a certain mark — a button on the baseman's 
shirt, his knee, his shoetops, his belt buckle — when you have 
time to do so. Aiming at a certain mark makes for accuracy. 

It may be of interest to young fielders to know that they 
must not wait for the fabled "crack of the bat," so popular with 
Base Ball reporters in describing how fielders make "great 
catches." The fielder who waits for the crack of the bat before 
he starts for the ball will lose many a putout. To get a good 
start on a flly or ground ball, watch and measure the speed of 
the pitch and the time of the bat stroke and the stance of the 
batter as he hits. Practise a good eye and Base Ball instinct will 
help you determine where to go to get the ball when it is hit. 

Don't wait for the crack of the bat. Watch the speed of the 
pitch, whether it is curve or fast ball, the time of the bat 
swing, and get a start in the right direction. Start easily, but 
be on your way. 

In his excellent book on "How to Play Lawn Tennis," pub- 
lished by The American Sports Publishing Company, Fred B. 
Alexander lays down one vital principle which holds for all ball 
games, especially for Base Ball. It is: 

''Always, so far as you possibly can, be going tozvards the ball 
when you make your play. Don't back azuay from the ball." 

This holds as a vital fundamental principle in Base Ball— in 
batting and fielding. 

Always be going forward — never away from — the pitched ball» 
the fly or the grounder. 





1 — Catching the ball standard style, knuckles down. 2— Catching the ball 
"V" style, an uncert?tn method. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 



Advice to Youn^ Catchers 

Stand as far to your left as is wise. Stay close to the right 
handed batter. Try to catch all pitched balls, so far as you can, 
opposite your right, o-r throwing, shoulder. 

Take but one step to throw. Let that step be quick and short. 

'Do not sacrifice time to secure accuracy in throwing to bases. 
Some catchers try to put the ball right on the bag, in fact "reach 
out and touch the runner," as the saying gO'Cs in the big leagues. 
Do not do that. Let the baseman have the ball in as good time 
as you can. He must touch the runner. 

Throw to all bases. 

Never take the pitched ball on your left side if you can avoid 
doing so, especially not with a runner on base. 

The catcher has the entire infield in front of him. He can see 
what is being done on the bases, where the pitcher and infielders 
cannot, as their backs may be to the runners. 

So, young catchers should get into the habit of calling the 
play in the infield ; that is, directing where the ball should go. 
As soon as the ball is hit fair, tear oflf the mask and call the 
play; who shall take the ball and where he shall throw it. Yell 
it out. Don't be afraid to take the responsibility. 

Always get the mask off instantly on the ball being hit or 
fouled. A quick tug or jerk at the chin and the mask is off. 
Nothing so pleases managers as to see a young catcher get rid 
of the mask in a hurry. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 55 



Play Base Ball with a Gay, Sprightly Air 

Players, even some great' professionals, do not know how to 
walk on a Base Ball field. They walk as if to a funeral or to 
dig a ditch. Remember, always, that playing Base Ball is the 
greatest fun and sport in the world. Walk on the field that 
way. Carry your head high, your eyes all about you. Let your 
smile be gay, your eye mirthful, your tongue jestful and gay. 
Smile at the spectators, be they friends or foes. Respect them. 
They do you the honor of coming to see you play. Do them — 
and yourself — the honor of giving them the best that is in you. 
Be polite; civil spoken. Answer questions respectfully. Thus 
you will keep friends and make friends. Walk to your position 
briskly and gaily. If the ball is batted or thrown around in 
practise, field and throw it in a bright businesslike manner. Be 
alive. Have ginger. Entertain the spectators and do credit to 
yourself. Make them say, "That looks like a team of fine boys." 

When you finish your half inning in the field do not loaf 
back of the outfield. Hurry in to the bench and, while on it, 
keep awake and watch the play carefully. 

There is nothing a manager so dislikes as an indolent player 
who does not manifest any interest in the success of his team. 
As you plaT Base Ball for but two hours a day, you can con- 
centrate a lot of effort into that short period. 

Do not use bad language. Vulgarity never won a ball game. 
The standard of Base Ball is getting higher yearly. To be 
known as a "mucker" is an unenviable reputation. 

Do not growl at or nag the umpire. Nor blame your own 
errors on him. Fighting the umpire is wholly unprofitable and 
takes your mind off the game. 



56 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. 



Third 



First , 
Base^ 



Box 



f 



Diagram of Diamond for Boys Under 16 Years of Age. 

As Approved by the Joint Playing Rules Committee, Chicago, Feb. 10, 1920. 

The official dimensions of the diamond for hoys under six- 
teen years old, as approved by the major leagues' joint rules 
committee, is as follows: Distance between bases, 82 feet: 
home plate to second base, 115 feet iilA inches; home plate 
to pitching rubber, 50 feet. The official ball shall be not less 
than 814 nor more than 8}i inches in circumference and shall 
weigh not less than 4^2 nor more than 4^4. ounces. The 
Spalding "Official National League Jr." hall or the Reach 
"Official American League Jr." ball should he used in all 
games played under these rules. 



IVh}^ Boys Should Read Books of Instruction 
on A thletic Sports 

No one person can be expected to know everything on one 
subject. But when the ideas of a number of persons are collected 
in one group, the combination of ideas becomes valuable. 

Spalding's Athletic Library was started to help everyone interested 
in athletic subjects. The leading authorities on each athletic sport 
are obtained to present not only the results of their own observa- 
tions, but to give the ideas of the leading players in the particular 
sport on which the book treats. 

For instance, every boy should read the books on base ball, a 
list of which is given in the front pages of this book. The Base 

Ball Guide should be read by every player the rules, anyway. 

Under each rule is given the explanation of the official text, which 
will help clear any statement in the rules that is not easily under- 
stood. These explanations by the editor, John B. Foster, are so 
well done, that even the National League ordered copies to send to 
persons who might ask for decisions on certain points. 

Mr. Foster has also written an entirely new 
book on "How to Bat." His acquaintanceship with 
all the big league players for twenty-five years 
has enabled him to give the accumulation of his 
numerous talks with the best and his observation 
of their methods. How to hold the bat, how to 
stand, what to do — it is all in "How to Bat." The 
price is 25 cents. 

Just as carefully written as the book on bat- 
ting, is the Spalding book on "How to Pitch." 
Most thoroughly compiled, and illustrated with 
diagrams that tell at a glance what otherwise might 
tal:e pages, this volume will teach the young pitcher 
how to hold the ball, how to throw the different 
curves and shoots, and what to avoid. Price 25 
cents. 

^^ Other books that will be helpful are the new 
"Knotty Problems" (price 25 cents), which gives 
questions and answers on the difficult situations 
that arise in a game; "How to Umpire," also 25 
cents, that instructs the umpire just as thor- 
oughly in his line as the volumes on the other 
positions ; and the other 
standard books on how 
to play the various 
positions on the dia- 
mond. 





The "Official" Boys' Ball 










The Spalding "Official National League" ball has been the 
only ball that the National League has used since 1878. It has 
stood the test of time and its use during all these years by the 
National League for its championship games and in the world 
series, is a tribute to the high quality of Spalding manufacture. 

The Spalding "Official National League" Junior ball has the 
patent cork center, same cover, same inside materials—^every- 

thing as the regular Official National League ball, the only 

variation being in its size, to fit the boys' hand. Games in 
which this ball is used are recognized as legal games. 

Boys who play with an "Official National League" Junior 
ball early accustom themselves to the "feel" of the big league 
players' ball and thus have no difficulty in working into the 
use of the larger ball when they grow older and commence to 
play on the regulation diamond. 

Boys should always insist, therefore, on playing w^ith a 
Spalding ball. The "just as good" kind is never just the same. 

SPALDING BASE BALL BATS. 

Spalding Base Ball bats are made in every style and at every price. 
The Spalding Junior "Players' Autograph" bat is the style endorsed 
by Mr. Sheridan. It is made exactly the same as the big leaguers' 
bats, only a little smaller, of course. 



John B. Sheridan 



originator of the Boys* size Base Ball Diamond, as 
adopted by the Joint Playing Rules Committee of the 
National and American Leagues at the Annual Meeting 
in Chicago, 1920. 

Endorses the Spalding 
''Official National League" Junior 
Patent Cork, Center Ball 

St. Louis. Mo.. April 15, 1920. 
A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

Gentlemen: 1 have examined the Spalding Official 

"National League" Junior Cork Center Base Ball, and 
find that it is made exactly in accordance with my 
suggestions for a boys' base ball to the Joint Rules 
Committee of the National and American Leagues at 
the meeting held in Chicago, February 10, 1920, and 
adopted by those organizations. Inasmuch as it is a 
replica of the Official Ball as used in the world series. 
I think it is particularly suitable for boys' use, as it 
accustoms the youth to the general "feel" of the 
Official League Ball. 

1 also have tested the bats of the Spalding line, and 
would recommend "Players' Autograph Junior" No. 
I50J Bats as being the proper models from which a 
body should make a selection. 

My new book, "Base Ball for Beginners," published 
by the American Sports Publishing Company, 45 Rose 
Street, New York, will contain detailed suggestions 
for not only boys, but older players as well, perfecting 
themselves in the technique of base ball. 




ems>^ 




f/^ Officials, 




Why there must be an Official Ball, and 
Why the Spalding Ball is Official 

Every condition as to a base ball must be uniform if 
match games are to be played and compared with accu- 
racy and justice. The Spalding Official National League 
Cork Center Base Ball establishes uniformity around the 
world. The length of base lines is fixed, the limitations 
of the bat are regulated, and the Spalding Base Balls, in 
weight, circumference and materials, are perfect. When 
A. G. Spalding submitted to the governing body of base 
ball the first sample of a uniform base ball that had been 
devised, he made it possible that, no matter w^here a 

game might be played Maine or California all players 

would know their achievements would have a value 
because the Spalding Base Ball w^as standard for batting 
and fielding. From the first, the Spalding Base Ball w^as 
one of the most vital factors in spreading active base 
ball around the world. The wiry Filipino, the agile 
Japanese, the athletic Australian and the "Doughboy" on 
the Rhine play with the Spalding Official National League 
Base Ball, knowing it is just like the base ball which is 
being used by the "big leaguers" on the Polo Grounds. 




Spalding Base Ball Uniforms 

Spalding Base Ball Uniforms are made in Spalding factories, 
which means clean, sanitary condjjipji?. Tailored Ijy com- 
petent workmen, and have wearing ..qualities that make them 
the most economical for the rough usage of the game. Teams 
owe it to themselves and to their patrons to always look their 
best. Samples of materials and prices mailed on request. 
See list of Spalding store addresses on inside front cover. 




m LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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evei^ A ®®5 900 530 3 ♦ 

Official and Standard 



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ATHI/ETIO 



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are the 

Standard 
of the 
World 



A.G.Sp£Jding £^Bros. 

Maintain Wholesale and Retail Stores in the followins Cities 

London, England 
Liverpool, England 
Manchester, England 
Birmingham, England 
Bristol, England 
Edinburgh, Scotland 
Glasgow^ Scotland 



New York 

Newark 

Philadelphia 

Boston 

Pittsburgh 

Buffalo 

Syracuse 

Rochester 

Albany 



Baltimore 

Washington 

Atlanta 

New Orleans 

DaUas 

Cleveland 

Cincinnati 

Columbus 

Indianapolis 



Chicago 
St. Louis 
Detroit 
Louisville 
Milwaukee 
Kansas City 
Des Moines 
Minneapolis 
St. Paul 



San Francisco 

Oakland 

Los Angeles 

Denver 

Salt Lake City 

Seattle 

Portland, Ore. 

Montreal, Canada Sydney, AustralU 
Toronto. Canada Paris, France 




Factories owned and operated by A. G. Spalding & Bros., 
and where all of Spalding's Trade-Marked Athletic 
Goods are made, are located in the following cities 



New York Chicago San Francisco London, England 
Brooklyn Philadelphia Leeds, England 

Boston Chicopee, Mass. Brantford, Canada' 




